American Women Suck

Grok and ye shall find (malicious links!): Scammers have figured out how to trick X’s Grok AI into sharing dangerous links by hiding them in places the system overlooks, making those links look “trusted” when they’re anything but. Some posts have racked up millions of views, which means bad actors get a megaphone straight to your feed. PSA: Never click blindly, even if Grok hands you the link on a silver platter. The post Grok and ye shall find (malicious links!) appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Seven Algerian minors traveled nearly 300km by boat and eventually arrived in Ibiza The Spanish authorities have detained seven Algerian teenagers who crossed nearly 300km of open sea in a recreational boat to reach the Spanish island of Ibiza in what local media is calling an unprecedented case. The teenagers, ranging in age from 14 to 17, turned up on Playa d’en Bossa beach aboard a Geisa Naval Open 550 motorboat that was reported stolen in Algeria, Algerie360 said on Sunday. It is believed that the journey across the Mediterranean happened spontaneously because the teenagers were wearing only casual beach clothes, used a mobile phone app for navigation, and live-streamed parts of the nine-hour voyage, which went viral on social media. Experts described the incident as the first known case of Algerian minors attempting such a crossing without adults. The teenagers are now in a juvenile detention facility in Ibiza. Algerian outlets reported they could face charges of illegal migration and unauthorized operation of a vessel once they reach adulthood. 🇩🇿 CHOQUÉ 🔴 | Des adolescents d'origine algérienne âgés de 11 à 17 ans ont traversé la Méditerranée pour rejoindre l'Espagne avec un bateau qu'ils avaient loué. 🇩🇿💩 Ils échappent à la pauvreté de l'Algérie, un pays pourtant riche en pétrole et en gaz. pic.twitter.com/DsCxazXa7g — Moorish darknight 🦇 (@Jones1535898) September 7, 2025 According to ReliefWeb, in 2024, Spain’s Balearic Islands recorded around 6,000 migrant arrivals, which is well above the 2,278 registered the year before. At least 743 people have died attempting to reach Europe across the Mediterranean so far this year. More than 500 of the fatalities took place on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the African Initiative news agency. Earlier this year, Algerian police dismantled a smuggling network in Tizi Ouzou, arresting 21 individuals accused of organizing maritime crossings. View the full article

The worst act of eco-terrorism in recent history has become a surreal exercise in convenient blame-shifting Once upon a time, long, long ago, scandals had consequences even in the West, at least sometimes. In the ancient US of 1974, Richard ‘Tricky Dick’ Nixon had to go because of Watergate, which, unlike Russiagate, was real, if hardly sensational by our standards today. Even in the late 1990s, early post-unification Germany, the career of a giant like Helmut ‘chancellor of unification’ Kohl took a lethal hit from a rather boring affair turning on creative accounting in party finances. Indeed, biased media hype and liberal pearl-clutching was the whole brouhaha’s real essence. Without it, Angela Merkel might never have been able to knife her old benefactor Kohl in the back, and Gerhard Schroeder might not have become chancellor. Now the West has devolved further. Our political elites in the US and EU have learned not to care, and more importantly, they have learned how to make us not care, or at least not enough. The worst political scandal of recent US history is the oddly inexplicable career of Jeffrey Epstein, convicted pedophile criminal and suspected intelligence operative as well as intimate friend of, it seems, most of the American establishment (in a thoroughly ‘bipartisan’ manner with vile favors to all). Its fall-out should already have profoundly changed America’s domestic and foreign policy, especially in the Middle East. And yet, it probably never will. In NATO-EU Europe, things are at least equally dismal, as is appropriate for what is really just the most masochistic backyard of the American empire. There, the single worst scandal is what has happened to the Nord Stream pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic. Built at a cost of around $20 billion to bring inexpensive gas from Russia to Germany and the EU as a whole, in September 2022, they were mostly destroyed by sabotage. That was the worst act of eco-terrorism in European history. Especially, with Russia and China now finalizing the building of the Power of Siberia Two pipeline, the destruction of Nord Stream will also be remembered as part of a historic reorientation of Eurasian energy flows that locked in Germany’s – and the EU’s – self-Morgenthauing de-industrialization. This insane event was then followed by a most bizarre cover-up. Indeed, between the attack and the cover-up, it is impossible to tell which has been the more stunning, jaw-dropping outrage. But then, we don’t have to: the whole thing is one big mess. A mess that, while buried under a dirty mudslide of Western mainstream media propaganda, has a way of bubbling up to the surface like methane from a bombed gas pipeline. And so the stink never really goes away: The most recent malodorous bubble has popped in Italy, where police arrested a Ukrainian terrorist – that’s the correct term for those committing acts of terrorism – on a family trip. Sergey K., also a businessman (in – oh, coincidence! – the energy business) as well as a member of Kiev’s military and intelligence services (in reality: international terrorism organizations, as openly if jocularly admitted by one of their leaders), stands plausibly accused of playing a key role in the Nord Stream attack. The versatile Ukrainian will face extradition to Germany. Meanwhile, the German authorities are still searching for several more Ukrainian terrorists who took part in the attack. The shameful, ludicrous roles that Western media and would-be experts – especially in Germany, the country most damaged by the attack, such as Carlo Masala or Janis Kluge – have played in absurdly trying to blame this devious terrorist strike against all of Germany on Russia is already old hat. Yet it is worth remembering: The fact that it has made no difference to their careers and artificial resonance in mainstream media tells us much about the abyss of deception and self-deception that Western propaganda has become. Yet even after the initial smearing of Russia was mostly abandoned, this is not a story of the truth finally prevailing. In reality, what we are witnessing is one silly set of lies superseding another. In essence, ever since it became impossible for even the most dishonorable, unpatriotic, and ruthless Western information warriors to pretend that Russia had detonated one of its most valuable assets, we have been stuck in a second, improved – if that is the word – phase of daft stories for dummies: Now every good Western mainstream media consumer is supposed to believe that it was half a dozen Ukrainians, and they alone, who used the equivalent of a bathtub with a sail to sabotage heavily armored pipelines at the bottom of a cold, inhospitable sea. Russians who know what they are talking about, meanwhile, are pointing at the involvement of highly trained and well-equipped special forces belonging to major NATO players, for instance Britain. As so often recently, the Russian view makes much more sense than the inanities pandered in the West. Fed with that nonsense, we are also asked to believe that the US had nothing to do with the attack. Never mind the revelations of Seymour Hersh, star US investigative journalist, and the fact that America had a perfect motive, as had Germany’s friendly neighbor Poland (in both cases a combination of clear and brutal financial interests and cold-blooded geopolitics). Even more ridiculous, the current Western mainstream party line is that the nice, decent chaps at the CIA warned those hotheaded Ukrainians against that Baltic plunge. Yes, of course! And Kissinger really tried to have Allende helicoptered out of Chile’s presidential palace just before he blew his brains out before the CIA-sponsored plotters got to him. In yet another twist for the ultra-gullible, even Ukraine’s authoritarian, clinically mendacious, ultra-corrupt, and mostly stoned leader Vladimir Zelensky is exempted from suspicion. He, so that tale goes, also wasn’t in favor of the explosive diving party; only wicked out-of-control General Valery Zaluzhny was. By now, a major German newspaper is reporting that the German prosecutors are getting ready to name Zaluzhny as the terror attack’s mastermind. This is – no pun intended – explosive: Currently, Zaluzhny, an old and bitter rival of Zelensky, is an unlikely ambassador to the UK (his English is rotten, his diplomatic skills are non-existent, but then, that’s quite common in Ukraine). More importantly, he is also a likely Zelensky replacement if the West should decide to palace-coup or color-revolution the latter away. You think all of the above is as crazy as it gets? You are still underestimating the NATO-EU Europeans. Because here is the next level of insanity: Having agreed on a stupid story without rhyme and reason that shifts the whole blame to Ukraine and Ukraine alone, Germany is not even ready to draw any reasonable consequences from its own cover-up tale. Instead, Berlin has made it clear that recognizing Kiev as being behind the worst attack ever on German vital infrastructure and national interests in peacetime does not mean the government intends to take any action against Ukraine. Sanctions? Retaliation? Perish the thought! On the contrary, sheepish Berlin is promising Kiev ever more billions of Euros (on top of the 44 billion already squandered there), while demonstratively not even bringing up Ukraine’s act of terrorism and de facto war against Germany. That, after all, would be so very, very impolite. And all of that against the background of threatening its own people, and thus, those taxpayers producing the billions fed to Kiev regime corruption with a very hard time of austerity and social services devastation. Challenged about this madness at a press conference, the German authorities have nothing to say to their citizens. So much for who they feel they owe accountability to. Definitely not the German people. Germany’s leaders are appeasing Ukraine in a ludicrous manner. Beyond that, they are appeasing everyone else who was also involved in this massive, devastating deindustrialization attack on a country already in deep economic trouble – that is, most likely Poland, the US, and Norway, at least. And all of the above is obvious for those with eyes to see. Yet nothing gives in Germany. Or just not yet? View the full article

The worst act of eco-terrorism in recent history has become a surreal exercise in convenient blame-shifting Once upon a time, long, long ago, scandals had consequences even in the West, at least sometimes. In the ancient US of 1974, Richard ‘Tricky Dick’ Nixon had to go because of Watergate, which, unlike Russiagate, was real, if hardly sensational by our standards today. Even in the late 1990s, early post-unification Germany, the career of a giant like Helmut ‘chancellor of unification’ Kohl took a lethal hit from a rather boring affair turning on creative accounting in party finances. Indeed, biased media hype and liberal pearl-clutching was the whole brouhaha’s real essence. Without it, Angela Merkel might never have been able to knife her old benefactor Kohl in the back, and Gerhard Schroeder might not have become chancellor. Now the West has devolved further. Our political elites in the US and EU have learned not to care, and more importantly, they have learned how to make us not care, or at least not enough. The worst political scandal of recent US history is the oddly inexplicable career of Jeffrey Epstein, convicted pedophile criminal and suspected intelligence operative as well as intimate friend of, it seems, most of the American establishment (in a thoroughly ‘bipartisan’ manner with vile favors to all). Its fall-out should already have profoundly changed America’s domestic and foreign policy, especially in the Middle East. And yet, it probably never will. In NATO-EU Europe, things are at least equally dismal, as is appropriate for what is really just the most masochistic backyard of the American empire. There, the single worst scandal is what has happened to the Nord Stream pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic. Built at a cost of around $20 billion to bring inexpensive gas from Russia to Germany and the EU as a whole, in September 2022, they were mostly destroyed by sabotage. That was the worst act of eco-terrorism in European history. Especially, with Russia and China now finalizing the building of the Power of Siberia Two pipeline, the destruction of Nord Stream will also be remembered as part of a historic reorientation of Eurasian energy flows that locked in Germany’s – and the EU’s – self-Morgenthauing de-industrialization. This insane event was then followed by a most bizarre cover-up. Indeed, between the attack and the cover-up, it is impossible to tell which has been the more stunning, jaw-dropping outrage. But then, we don’t have to: the whole thing is one big mess. Read more Did you notice the EU just lost its gas lifeline? Here’s what you should know A mess that, while buried under a dirty mudslide of Western mainstream media propaganda, has a way of bubbling up to the surface like methane from a bombed gas pipeline. And so the stink never really goes away: The most recent malodorous bubble has popped in Italy, where police arrested a Ukrainian terrorist – that’s the correct term for those committing acts of terrorism – on a family trip. Sergey K., also a businessman (in – oh, coincidence! – the energy business) as well as a member of Kiev’s military and intelligence services (in reality: international terrorism organizations, as openly if jocularly admitted by one of their leaders), stands plausibly accused of playing a key role in the Nord Stream attack. The versatile Ukrainian will face extradition to Germany. Meanwhile, the German authorities are still searching for several more Ukrainian terrorists who took part in the attack. The shameful, ludicrous roles that Western media and would-be experts – especially in Germany, the country most damaged by the attack, such as Carlo Masala or Janis Kluge – have played in absurdly trying to blame this devious terrorist strike against all of Germany on Russia is already old hat. Yet it is worth remembering: The fact that it has made no difference to their careers and artificial resonance in mainstream media tells us much about the abyss of deception and self-deception that Western propaganda has become. Yet even after the initial smearing of Russia was mostly abandoned, this is not a story of the truth finally prevailing. In reality, what we are witnessing is one silly set of lies superseding another. In essence, ever since it became impossible for even the most dishonorable, unpatriotic, and ruthless Western information warriors to pretend that Russia had detonated one of its most valuable assets, we have been stuck in a second, improved – if that is the word – phase of daft stories for dummies: Now every good Western mainstream media consumer is supposed to believe that it was half a dozen Ukrainians, and they alone, who used the equivalent of a bathtub with a sail to sabotage heavily armored pipelines at the bottom of a cold, inhospitable sea. Read more ‘Someone’ might have to blow up prospective Russia-China pipeline – Fox News host Russians who know what they are talking about, meanwhile, are pointing at the involvement of highly trained and well-equipped special forces belonging to major NATO players, for instance Britain. As so often recently, the Russian view makes much more sense than the inanities pandered in the West. Fed with that nonsense, we are also asked to believe that the US had nothing to do with the attack. Never mind the revelations of Seymour Hersh, star US investigative journalist, and the fact that America had a perfect motive, as had Germany’s friendly neighbor Poland (in both cases a combination of clear and brutal financial interests and cold-blooded geopolitics). Even more ridiculous, the current Western mainstream party line is that the nice, decent chaps at the CIA warned those hotheaded Ukrainians against that Baltic plunge. Yes, of course! And Kissinger really tried to have Allende helicoptered out of Chile’s presidential palace just before he blew his brains out before the CIA-sponsored plotters got to him. In yet another twist for the ultra-gullible, even Ukraine’s authoritarian, clinically mendacious, ultra-corrupt, and mostly stoned leader Vladimir Zelensky is exempted from suspicion. He, so that tale goes, also wasn’t in favor of the explosive diving party; only wicked out-of-control General Valery Zaluzhny was. By now, a major German newspaper is reporting that the German prosecutors are getting ready to name Zaluzhny as the terror attack’s mastermind. This is – no pun intended – explosive: Currently, Zaluzhny, an old and bitter rival of Zelensky, is an unlikely ambassador to the UK (his English is rotten, his diplomatic skills are non-existent, but then, that’s quite common in Ukraine). More importantly, he is also a likely Zelensky replacement if the West should decide to palace-coup or color-revolution the latter away. You think all of the above is as crazy as it gets? You are still underestimating the NATO-EU Europeans. Because here is the next level of insanity: Having agreed on a stupid story without rhyme and reason that shifts the whole blame to Ukraine and Ukraine alone, Germany is not even ready to draw any reasonable consequences from its own cover-up tale. Read more The West has a big problem: it can’t stop lying. Even to itself Instead, Berlin has made it clear that recognizing Kiev as being behind the worst attack ever on German vital infrastructure and national interests in peacetime does not mean the government intends to take any action against Ukraine. Sanctions? Retaliation? Perish the thought! On the contrary, sheepish Berlin is promising Kiev ever more billions of Euros (on top of the 44 billion already squandered there), while demonstratively not even bringing up Ukraine’s act of terrorism and de facto war against Germany. That, after all, would be so very, very impolite. And all of that against the background of threatening its own people, and thus, those taxpayers producing the billions fed to Kiev regime corruption with a very hard time of austerity and social services devastation. Challenged about this madness at a press conference, the German authorities have nothing to say to their citizens. So much for who they feel they owe accountability to. Definitely not the German people. Germany’s leaders are appeasing Ukraine in a ludicrous manner. Beyond that, they are appeasing everyone else who was also involved in this massive, devastating deindustrialization attack on a country already in deep economic trouble – that is, most likely Poland, the US, and Norway, at least. And all of the above is obvious for those with eyes to see. Yet nothing gives in Germany. Or just not yet? View the full article

By Sydney Rowell Editor’s Note: A version of this story also appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox. From “Big Little Lies” to “The Perfect Couple,” we love watching beautiful, wealthy women misbehave. “The Hunting Wives,” still one of Netflix’s most-watched shows more than a month after it first premiered, takes this misbehavior in a new direction. This eight-episode series builds momentum as a Red State-Blue State drama set in a fictional east Texas town, but quickly softens into a lusty murder mystery where nudity supersedes politics in screen time. “The Hunting Wives” is no Hallmark small-town romance – it made headlines for its affairs, orgies, and raunchy sex scenes. And while the show makes heavy use of familiar stereotypes, it aims to prove that rural living can be just as scandalous as life in the big city. The show’s main protagonist is Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow) a fish-out-of-water liberal who moved to the fictional town of Maple Brook from the northeast with her young son and politically apathetic husband. Viewers experience the town – and its politics – through Sophie’s eyes as she acclimates to her new life. In the show’s pilot episode, Sophie and her husband attend a National Rifle Association (NRA) fundraiser hosted by her husband’s boss, where viewers are treated to lingering shots of Sophie staring wide-eyed at guests in formal attire with guns strapped to their sides. The first few episodes touch on hot-button issues, with an early storyline even depicting the town sheriff plotting to frame an undocumented immigrant for a murder. While the portrayal of small-town Texas borders on caricature, the backdrop of conservative America is key as the series explores the lives and influence of wealthy matriarchs in this tight-knit community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nb51LHXS2g The most important of these matriarchs is Margo Banks (Malin Akerman), the socially cunning and sexually fluid housewife of oil tycoon and gubernatorial candidate Jed Banks. She leads a posse of thin, wealthy, almost entirely white women, who are more than just stereotypical Southern Belles and housewives. The members of the titular clique are anything but demure. They loudly and proudly tout their political beliefs, throw back tequila shots, socially maneuver for their families, and have sex with other women. While identifying as devout Christians, the hunting wives commit more sins per episode than a person could count. They lie, they cheat, they commit adultery, and they kill. Repeatedly. But despite these breaks from tradition, it’s worth noting that the hunting wives themselves do not hold formal positions of power. They are simply married to the men who do: the sheriff, the gubernatorial candidate, and the pastor at a local megachurch. Bad Girls The explicit portrayal of bisexuality among Christian Southern matriarchs feels distinct from similar stories set in fictional small towns. But while the show is inventive in its depictions of the wealthy, it leans into shallow stereotypes of lower-class rural characters. Margo’s brother is portrayed without nuance as “trailer trash.” On the other (equally stereotypical) hand, the only other lower-class family, the Jacksons, are romanticized as inherently virtuous, seemingly capable of keeping their faith-based moral high ground no matter how much dirt is kicked in their faces. The Jackson family’s genuine religious beliefs and inherent goodness are starkly juxtaposed with the wealthy families’ tendencies to continuously betray their supposed religious ideals. But the show doesn’t necessarily treat such goodness as an asset. It seems to suggest the Jackson family is too true to their beliefs to keep pace with the complex social politics of the town, which prevent them from ascending out of their current socioeconomic situation. Without money to throw around or a highly-connected network, the Jackson family struggles to obtain justice for a horrible crime. Ultimately, “The Hunting Wives” spends minimal screentime on the Jackson family. Instead of taking the opportunity to thoroughly examine a family without financial means and their position in the town, the show uses the Jacksons as a mere plot vehicle. After all, the wealthy and wicked are more fun to watch than the poor and pious, at least in Netflix’s view. It’s no surprise “The Hunting Wives” sits on Netflix’s top list, even weeks after its premiere. The show is fast-paced and steamy, and scratches that “beautiful women in absurd outfits do bad things” itch that everyone secretly wants scratched. It also makes attempts (albeit inelegantly) to comment on the hypocrisy of big-city liberals and small-town conservatives alike, as the characters betray their stated political and religious ideals episode after episode. The series certainly is not winning an Emmy for its groundbreaking portrayal of rural America. But unlike most media in a similar setting, it at the very least defies conventions by showing Christian and conservative women getting down to business with one another, in quite explicit fashion. Did I mention this show is NSFW? You can watch The Hunting Wives on Netflix. This article first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, recommendations, retrospectives, and more. Join the mailing list today to have future editions delivered straight to your inbox. This article first appeared on The Daily Yonder and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. — Previously Published on dailyyonder.com with Creative Commons License *** – The world is changing fast. We help you keep up. We’ll send you 1 post, 3x per week. Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo: unsplash The post ‘The Hunting Wives’ Is a Sexy but Superficial Portrayal of Small-Town Texas appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

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By James A. Bonus Key takeaways for caregivers Parents sometimes avoid talking about science with their children, fearing they might provide inaccurate or misleading information. Watching science television can help families engage in interactions that more effectively help children learn about science. In our research, parents who watched educational science television programs demonstrated more science knowledge, formulated more accurate scientific explanations, and engaged in higher-quality science conversations than parents who did not watch the programs. However, parents do not need to be experts to talk to their children about science. Science is a process of discovery, and modeling that process is just as important as teaching science information. “Mom, why is it cold outside?” Questions like this might catch parents by surprise. They might feel unprepared to answer and struggle to clarify what their child is asking or have trouble recalling the correct explanation. Putting a response in age-appropriate terms can add to the challenge. Science is not just about knowing the right answer – it is also a process of learning and discovery. These difficulties often lead parents and other caregivers to avoid talking about science with their children. However, science is not just about knowing the right answer – it is also a process of learning and discovery. As researchers, we wanted to find ways to support parents in these moments. To do so, we turned to one of the most popular educational resources that families use together: science television. What is children’s science television? In recent years, the number of science television programs available for young children to watch has skyrocketed. These programs cover a wide range of topics, including biology (e.g., Dinosaur Train), physics (e.g., Blaze and the Monster Machines), and outer space (e.g., Ready Jet Go). They also cater to different age groups, ranging from preschool (e.g., Octonauts) to late elementary school (e.g., Sci Girls). Often, episodes of these programs begin with a provocative science question (e.g., “Why is the sky blue?”), which characters answer by engaging in a series of trial-and-error investigations. Along the way, the characters befriend vibrant and imaginative creatures, including familiar figures that many children know and love (e.g., the Cat in the Hat). How do science television programs support parents? We hypothesized that science television can support parents and other caregivers in several ways: By refreshing knowledge: These programs are rich in factual science content, which may refresh caregivers’ knowledge and can also teach them new science concepts. By building confidence: Presenting complex ideas in an age-appropriate narrative may help parents feel more confident when answering their children’s science questions and improve the science explanations they provide. By encouraging collaboration: Science programs may remind caregivers that they do not need to always have all the answers, and that it is okay to learn with their children. To examine these possibilities, we conducted three studies with different groups of families, settings, and research methods. Science television improved parents’ science explanations We conducted our first proof-of-concept study online. We recruited 141 U.S. parents of three- to six-year-olds. About half of parents and children were female and half male. Most parents were between 25 and 40 years old, most self-identified as White, and almost half reported having at least a college degree. We randomly selected some parents to watch two four-minute videos from the science program Earth to Luna. One video featured science information about the day/night cycle and one featured science information about butterflies. Other parents did not watch the videos. After each video, we asked parents a series of science questions (e.g., “Why does day turn into night?”), and we invited them to respond as if they were talking to their child. Parents who were randomly selected to not watch the videos skipped straight to responding to the science questions as if they were talking to their child. Parents who watched the videos before responding formulated explanations with more science facts (e.g., the earth rotates) and fewer scientific misconceptions (e.g., the sun goes to sleep) than parents who did not view the videos. These findings offered preliminary support for our assertion that parents extract useful information from children’s educational television. However, this initial study had clear limitations – it was conducted online and relied on hypothetical questions from children. To better assess the impact of science television, we needed to observe families as they engaged in actual science conversations. Science television imparted knowledge to mothers and boosted their confidence In our second study, 46 U.S. mothers and their four- to five-year-olds visited our lab at Ohio State University in a large urban part of the United States. Most mothers were 30 to 40 years old and most self-identified as White. Most mothers also described their children as White, and just under half of the children were female. We focused on mothers because they are generally more likely than fathers to watch educational television with children. Mothers who watched the conceptual video demonstrated more knowledge about rocks than mothers who watched the video emphasizing science inquiry skills. Mother-child pairs were randomly assigned to watch one of two 10-minute videos from the science program Sid the Science Kid, which focused on the concept of rock identification. One video emphasized conceptual information about rocks (i.e., distinguishing igneous from metamorphic rocks), and the other video emphasized science inquiry skills (i.e., observing and describing rocks). We then examined whether these videos affected mothers’ relevant conceptual knowledge, confidence about teaching their children related content, and engagement during a hands-on rock identification activity with their children. Mothers who watched the conceptual video demonstrated more knowledge about rocks than mothers who watched the video emphasizing science inquiry skills. In contrast, mothers who watched the inquiry video felt more confident teaching their children about rocks than mothers who watched the conceptual video. Despite these improvements, neither video affected what mothers said to their children during the activity. These findings suggest that science television can provide some content and confidence support for parents. However, this study had too few participants to draw stronger conclusions. Additionally, our audio recordings of parent-child conversations were somewhat low in quality, which made it difficult to assess children’s contributions (e.g., they were often quieter). Science television supported parent-child science conversations In our final study, we addressed the limitations of our previous work by recruiting 116 U.S. parents (about 30% were fathers) and their four- to seven-year-olds. Just over half of the children were female and most of the parents and children were White. The study took place in a quiet space at a children’s museum in Columbus, Ohio. We invited families to watch a five-minute video from the science program Hero Elementary and to complete a five-minute science activity. Both the video and the activity involved an early engineering concept (i.e., tower stability). We randomly assigned half of the parent-children pairs to watch the video before the activity and half to watch the video afterward. We also used a higher-quality audio recorder to allow us to analyze parent-child conversations in greater depth. Watching the video before (rather than after) the activity motivated parents to ask more science questions during the activity. Using an advanced form of dialog analysis, we also examined the patterns in conversational turn-taking that unfolded after parents’ questions. Children who watched the video before (rather than after) the activity were more likely to formulate science explanations in response to parents’ questions. Without the video, they usually responded by revealing their lack of knowledge (e.g., by saying “I don’t know”). Recommendations for caregivers Collectively, our research suggests that science television can support parents by increasing their science knowledge, improving their scientific explanations, and facilitating higher-quality science conversations. These improvements have downstream benefits for children, such as improved learning from joint science activities. Our studies focused on U.S. families who were predominately White and high-income. Additional research is needed to examine whether similar patterns emerge among other populations. However, given the benefits we found, we encourage parents and other caregivers to watch science television with their children when possible and to seek out activities that reinforce lessons from these programs. These experiences can provide a shared language for discussing and exploring science in ways that are both tangible and fun. Parents should not feel pressure to be science experts. Instead, they should emphasize the value of asking questions and seeking answers. Science television is just one platform through which shared learning can occur; families should explore other options in their community, such as zoos, museums, and public gardens. Science is a process of discovery. Encouraging children to participate in that process is just as important as teaching them science information. References Bonus, J. A. (2021). The influence of exposure to science television on U.S. parents’ science explanations to their children. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 49(5), 569-588. Bonus, J. A., Brinberg, M., Dore, R. A., Lerner B., Wilson, J. M., Frieberger, N., & Rini, A. (2025). A building block for science talk: Educational TV supports parent-child conversations during an engineering activity. Developmental Psychology, 61(3), 432–445. Bonus, J. A., Dore, R. A., Wilson, J. M., Frieberger, N., & Lerner B. (2023). Of scientists and superheroes: Educational television and pretend play as preparation for science learning. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 89, 101603. Bonus, J. A., & Mares, M. L. (2018). When the sun sings science, are children left in the dark? Representations of science in children’s television and their effects on children’s learning. Human Communication Research, 44(4), 449-472. Bonus, J. A., Watts, J., & Stemen, D. (2022). Won’t somebody think of the parents? Reevaluating the audience for children’s educational media. Journal of Children and Media, 16(1), 144-147. Watts, J., & Bonus, J. A. (2021). What do mothers learn from children’s science television? Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 65(2), 228-247. — Previously Published on childandfamilyblog with Creative Commons License *** Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo Credit: unsplash The post Children’s Science Television: Not Just for Children appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The age of Mount Fuji’s newest oldest summit climber. Kokichi Akuzawa scaled Japan’s 12,388-foot peak with his daughter (70), granddaughter and her husband, despite past heart failure, shingles and even a fall. He’s out there bagging mountains while we’re bargaining with ourselves over taking the stairs. There’s some motivation for you. The post 102 appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

🎭 Deepfake stole her home: A 66-year-old California woman lost her life savings and home after scammers used AI deepfakes to impersonate soap star Steve Burton. You know the drill, Steve said he was in love and they would be together forever. But he needed money. She sent him $81K, then he pushed her into selling her $350K condo for quick cash. By the time her daughter intervened, the house was long gone. The post Deepfake stole her home appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Beijing is reportedly preparing to reopen its domestic bond market to major companies including Rosatom and Gazprom Major Russian companies, including nuclear giant Rosatom and gas major Gazprom, are considering issuing yuan-denominated ‘panda bonds’, according to media reports. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Russian companies have been barred from Western capital markets under sweeping sanctions, pushing them to seek financing alternatives in Asia. Now China is preparing to reopen its domestic bond market to major Russian energy companies, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Chinese regulators reportedly told executives at a meeting in Guangzhou in August that they would back their plans to issue panda bonds, yuan-denominated debt sold by foreign issuers in China. Russian issuers are interested in placing bonds on the Chinese market, and the matter is being discussed with their Chinese counterparts, Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov told reporters on Monday. “We are discussing how best to do this; talks with our partners are ongoing,” he said. The move would mark the first Russian corporate fundraising in mainland China since 2022, and the first sale of Russian debt on China’s onshore public market since aluminum producer Rusal raised 1.5 billion yuan ($210 million) through a panda bond in 2017. The revival of Russian panda bonds is expected to start with a handful of issuers. Potential first borrowers reportedly include Rosatom and its subsidiaries, which have not been hit by sanctions. Any Russian bond sales would still need clearance from Chinese regulators, while investors in potential yuan issues would have to weigh the risk of secondary sanctions. “For China, the risk of secondary sanctions has made banks cautious about deals that could be viewed as breaching or undermining sanctions,” Danske Bank analyst Allan von Mehren told Reuters. On Friday, Chinese rating agency CSCI Pengyuan gave Gazprom its top AAA rating, clearing the path for potential debt issuance in China’s domestic bond market. The development comes as Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin strengthen their ‘no limits’ partnership. During his visit to China last week, Putin called for a joint financial infrastructure for Global South countries and proposed that members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization issue joint bonds. View the full article

Boris Johnson is suspected of misusing public funds for personal gain and bending ethical rules Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has profited from contacts and influence he gained while in office, The Guardian alleged on Monday, citing a trove of leaked documents. The outlet said it had obtained about 2GB of files, including emails, letters, invoices, spreadsheets, speeches, and contracts, from the Office of Boris Johnson, the company that manages his post-government business dealings. Most of the material covers September 2022 to July 2024 but the trove also includes earlier records from his premiership. The Guardian highlighted four cases it described as questionable. A month after taking office in 2019, Johnson reportedly held a secret meeting with billionaire Peter Thiel, co-founder of US data giant Palantir Technologies, which was seeking UK contracts at the time. In 2020, Johnson hosted a party for Conservative peer David Brownlow, who helped finance renovations of the prime minister’s residence – a gathering that may have violated the government’s own Covid-19 restrictions, the report said. After leaving office, Johnson allegedly lobbied Saudi officials he had met while in power, and billed a hedge fund six figures following a visit to Venezuela – money The Guardian claimed may have been payment for meeting the country’s leadership. The newspaper said it was the only UK outlet given access to the leaked files by Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoS), a US-based nonprofit transparency group that obtained the cache earlier this year. The report argued disclosure was in the public interest because Johnson’s firm receives a government-funded annual stipend meant to cover his official duties as a former prime minister, not personal enrichment. Johnson resigned as prime minister and Conservative Party leader in September 2022 after a string of scandals, including breaches of Covid-19 lockdown rules and the appointment of an MP accused of sexual misconduct to a deputy whip position. During his tenure, Johnson played a significant role in scuttling early peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, opposing a proposed settlement deal and encouraging Kiev to pursue a military path instead. View the full article

Your Doctor Is Probably Using AI—And You Might Not Even Know It. By Your doctor is probably using AI and you might not even know it Would you trust AI with your healthcare? Millions of Americans already do—and they may not even realize it. In exam rooms across the country, doctors are now using artificial intelligence to transcribe appointments, summarize patient data, and surface clinical insights. The result? More time looking patients in the eye, less time looking at screens. And in many cases, more focused, more personal care. Interactions like this capture a subtle but profound shift around AI in healthcare. By taking care of administrative tasks, AI is making doctor-patient interactions more focused, personal, and human. At the same time, AI in healthcare is expanding what’s possible at the cutting edge of medicine, analyzing massive datasets to help detect rare diseases, uncover overlooked treatments, and reveal new ways to diagnose conditions earlier and more accurately. These breakthroughs are beginning to shape everyday healthcare, from interpreting complex biomarker panels to tracking symptoms and surfacing insights your doctor can act on. It’s also quietly revolutionizing how medicine is practiced behind the scenes, Hone Health reports. AI-Powered Diagnostics and Imaging AI is assisting healthcare providers in practical and often invisible ways: speeding up diagnoses, sorting through the flood of data modern medicine generates, and flagging risks before they become serious problems. According to a 2025 American Medical Association survey, two-thirds of physicians use AI tools in their practice, a 78% increase from the year before. “There are now over 1,000 FDA-approved AI tools in healthcare,” says James Zou, Ph.D., a Stanford professor who studies medical AI. One of them is EchoNet, an AI system Zou helped develop. It analyzes ultrasound videos of the heart and, in clinical trials, matched the accuracy of experienced technicians in evaluating cardiac function. Other AI systems are helping radiologists detect brain bleeds or blood clots faster (like Aidoc), flag early signs of cancer (PathAI), and even summarize clinical notes or explain lab results in simple language (like Google’s Med-PaLM 2). These types of diagnostic breakthroughs—faster scans, earlier pattern recognition, more accurate reads —are laying the foundation for individualized medicine, where a person’s care plan is shaped not just by symptoms, but by signals from their unique biology. Today, patients are awash in data. Comprehensive biomarker tests can determine hormone levels and inflammation markers. Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) identify blood sugar trends. Wearable devices keep tabs on your HRV and resting heart rate. For clinicians, parsing what matters in that tidal wave of information can be daunting. But this is where AI shines. It can analyze data to highlight the most relevant health information for each person, flagging patterns that align with risks so diseases can be caught before they progress. What This Means for You Imagine you’re a middle-aged patient with a family history of heart disease. You log meals, wear a fitness tracker, and get regular blood work. AI can look for patterns, a spike in ApoB, cholesterol, and inflammation markers—when you don’t get enough sleep or exercise. It can then surface those insights to your doctor and suggest a personalized exercise and stress reduction plan to lower the markers before things escalate. And that’s just the beginning. “Soon enough, AI could look at 20,000 biomarkers and, based on millions of cases, recommend personalized interventions,” says Valter Longo, Ph.D., professor of gerontology and biological sciences at USC. “It could recommend healthy actions based on biological age, hormones, and other factors.” “AI can turn the overwhelming flood of biomarker and wearable data into actionable, personalized insights,” says Zou. AI Is Powerful, But Not Perfect. Of course, AI has limits. It can’t build trust, show empathy, or understand the full complexity of your life. And it doesn’t always get things right. ChatGPT—which some people already use to ask medical questions—can offer inaccurate or incomplete answers when faced with complex health issues. That’s why experts agree: AI should support human care, not replace it. “Right now [AI] is helpful but can be unreliable in certain cases,” says Longo. “It can help me put things together and give me possibilities, but it doesn’t replace human intelligence and decision-making.” There are risks, too. Despite the promise that AI eliminates bias, it often inherits new ones, especially when trained on flawed data. If a dataset underrepresents women or people of color, for example, the AI may make less accurate recommendations for those groups. Privacy is another concern. Healthcare data is sensitive, and there’s growing scrutiny over how it’s used by AI and who gets to see it. Groups like the FDA and AMA are pushing for clearer standards and better safeguards. “Even when trained, AI gets too much wrong,” says Longo, comparing its potential to nuclear power: transformative, but not without risk. Like nuclear energy, AI offers enormous promise, but national leaders need to consider not just what it can do, but what it might do if left unchecked, Longo says, adding, “It has to be regulated carefully.” This story was produced by Hone Health and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. — Previously Published on hub.stacker Subscribe to The Good Men Project Newsletter Email Address * Subscribe If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join us as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. Photo credit: iStock The post Your Doctor Is Probably Using AI and You Might Not Even Know It appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Sudanese officials have reportedly hailed the withdrawals as a major step toward restoring security and rebuilding Khartoum Sudan’s transitional government has announced the withdrawal of troops from the capital, Khartoum. The move is aimed at enabling residents who fled the city to return after more than two years of a brutal civil war that has devastated the African state. More than 3,000 fighters, representing 98% of the state’s combat forces, have been withdrawn and redeployed outside Khartoum State, Ibrahim Jaber, the chairman of the committee overseeing the capital’s reconstruction, told journalists on Sunday, according to local media. “Work is underway to relocate the remaining forces… Police... have been deployed in concentration camps; all report offices and public service centers have been opened,” state news agency SUNA quoted Jaber as saying. Police have been stationed at 13 key crossings to bolster security, while aid trucks moved in, the outlet added. The withdrawal of troops reportedly comes in response to insecurity blamed on armed groups and rogue forces, with residents of the capital’s seven localities reporting frequent robberies and looting. Sudan has been gripped by fierce fighting between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023. Both factions are vying for control amid a stalled transition to civilian rule. The country faces what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with thousands killed. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that as of this month, 11,918,777 people have been forcibly displaced across the country. SAF chief and de facto leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan declared Khartoum “free” in March after his forces recaptured the international airport along with key military and civilian facilities from the RSF. Last month, the authorities announced plans to rebuild roads, bridges, and the international airport destroyed in the hostilities. The army also reportedly cleared 4,500 mines and shells near Khartoum as part of a demining program. Over the weekend, local media reported that the transitional government has introduced new security measures in the capital, including a ban on carrying weapons in public, restrictions on unregistered vehicles, and a prohibition on wearing military uniforms. View the full article

K P Sharma Oli has quit over the recent fatal standoff with young demonstrators Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday, as furious protests against th government intensified across the Himalayan nation’s capital, Kathmandu. Nepal’s army has confirmed that Oli and six cabinet ministers were moved to an undisclosed location after protesters set fire to the residences of both the prime minister and the vice president. Anti-government and anti-corruption protests turned violent after several major social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and X, were banned on Monday. The ban was revoked on Tuesday. DETAILS TO FOLLOW View the full article

The artist’s latest mural appearing to critique the misuse of judicial power has sparked an investigation Secretive street artist Banksy could be unmasked by a UK police probe into his new mural in London, The Telegraph has reported. Known for his politically charged and socially critical works, Banksy has kept his identity hidden for more than 25 years. According to the newspaper, the Metropolitan Police is investigating graffiti that appeared on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex, on Monday. The mural shows a judge in a wig and gown holding a gavel about to strike a protester, who is depicted lying on the ground with a white, blood-spattered placard. Banksy confirmed authorship by posting a picture of the mural on Instagram, his usual method of claiming his works. Police said they are investigating the mural as possible “criminal damage,” as it was painted on a Grade II-listed building of historical significance. If the case goes to court, Banksy would be required to disclose his real name, the report said. It is not the first probe involving Banksy’s art, although previous proceedings preserved his anonymity through court arrangements and proxies. However, it is the first criminal investigation, which experts say could potentially force him to reveal his identity. The graffiti is believed to reference the UK government’s ban on activist group Palestine Action. The organization was outlawed under the Terrorism Act in June after its members allegedly broke into a military base and spray-painted two aircraft in protest against Israel’s campaign in Gaza. Since then, its supporters have held several demonstrations against the ban, including a rally in Parliament Square on Saturday, where nearly 900 people were detained. Defend Our Juries, a group behind Saturday’s protest, praised the mural, saying it “powerfully depicts the brutality unleashed” by the government ban. Banksy’s identity has fueled speculation since his first artwork appeared in 1999. He has become one of the world’s most famous artists, with his works selling for millions of dollars at auction and often targeted by thieves. Over the years, Bristol artist Robin Gunningham and Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja have been floated as possible identities, but none have been confirmed. View the full article

Peter Navarro has claimed that the members of the group have “long hated each other” White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro has claimed that the BRICS group is unlikely to last because the members have “long hated each other.” In an interview with US President Donald Trump’s former strategist, Steve Bannon, on Monday, Navarro said none of the BRICS members could survive without selling products to the US. ”India has been at war with China for decades… and I just remembered, it was China that gave Pakistan the nuclear bomb,” Navarro told Bannon. “They have ships flying around the Indian Ocean with Chinese flags. [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi, see how you kind of work that out.” He added that China is sending illegal immigrants to Russia and has claimed territory within Russia. “China claims they own Vladivostok, the Russian port, and they are already through massive illegal immigration into Siberia, basically colonizing Siberia, which is the biggest landmass of the Russian semi-empire.” ❗️India, Russia, China & Other BRICS 'Vampires' Can't Survive Without US Trade- Peter Navarro Goes Off In Yet Another Tariff Tirade 📹 Real America's Voice / Bannon War Room https://t.co/6eDlJSHH2Z pic.twitter.com/bGFCVtOfca — RT_India (@RT_India_news) September 8, 2025 China, however, does not claim any Russian territory, and the two countries signed the Complementary Agreement on the Eastern Section of the China-Russia Boundary in 2004 as a final resolution of their border dispute. ”I don’t see how [BRICS] stays together since historically they hate each other and kill each other,” the trade adviser added. Navarro claimed that BRICS countries are dependent on the US for trade. “The bottom line is none of these countries can survive if they don’t sell to the United States, and when they sell to the United States, their exports, they’re like vampires sucking our blood dry with their unfair trade practices.” X posts made by the trade adviser that are critical of India have been fact-checked and have received Community Notes, for which he has accused Indian “special interests” of “trying to interfere with domestic dialogues with lies about India buying Russian oil.” A day after he called Community Notes from India “crap,” Navarro added: “India has [the] largest population in the world and all it can do is manage [a] few hundred thousand X propagandists to jerk around a poll?” View the full article

“When you know yourself, you are empowered. When you accept yourself, you are invincible.” – Tina Lifford When I think about the times I’ve felt the most lost, it wasn’t because life was throwing something impossible at me but actually it was because I didn’t know where I ended and where the world began. Without a strong sense of self, you start dissolving into everything around you. You absorb people’s opinions like a sponge, you bend with every expectation, and suddenly you don’t know your own voice anymore. A strong sense of self is not some luxury. It’s an utmost need for survival. It’s the foundation that everything else — relationships, careers, love, even creativity—gets built on. And yet, so many of us are never really taught how to cultivate it but are actually discouraged to develop it. From the moment we’re children, people tell us who we should be, what we should want, and how we should behave. They place labels on us and call it “guidance.” In the process, we lose the most important skill: trusting ourselves. When you don’t have a clear sense of who you are, even love feels unstable. You either lose yourself in another person, becoming who they want you to be, or you constantly demand reassurance because you’re not sure you’re worthy without them. True intimacy can only exist when two whole people meet, not two halves desperately trying to complete each other. It also makes life feel paralyzing. Small decisions become heavy, because you don’t know what your values are. A strong self gives you clarity, not the kind that makes you “perfect,” but the kind that lets you stand behind your choices, even when you fail. They’re your choices, and that makes all the difference. And let’s be real: without a solid core, you’re more vulnerable to being manipulated. When you don’t know your worth, it’s easy for others to guilt-trip you, gaslight you, or make you feel like you should be grateful for crumbs. But when you know who you are, you stop settling for situations, jobs, and relationships that drain you. You stop confusing attention with love. A strong sense of self is also the key to creativity. How can you express yourself if you don’t know what your voice sounds like? When you’re disconnected from yourself, everything feels like mimicry. But when you anchor into who you are, your work carries depth. It becomes uniquely yours. Life doesn’t get easier just because you know yourself, but it does make you resilient. With a strong core, you bend, but you don’t break. You know when to say no and when to say yes. You recover faster from heartbreaks, failures, and rejections because your identity isn’t tied to one role or one outcome. You are bigger than the labels people give you. In relationships, this becomes even more powerful. When you and your partner both have a strong sense of self, you stop projecting onto each other. You stop expecting the other person to fix what only you can heal. Love becomes freer, less performative. It’s not about clinging, it’s about choosing each other, again and again, from a place of wholeness. And maybe the most important piece is that having a strong sense of self doesn’t mean being rigid. It’s not about locking yourself in one identity and refusing to grow. It’s the opposite. It gives you the freedom to evolve because your core is stable enough to handle change. You can step outside your comfort zone, take risks, fall, get up, and still know who you are. For me, this has been the biggest lesson: without knowing yourself, life feels like noise. But with it, life starts to feel intentional. You stop running after other people’s definitions of success and start building your own. You stop trying to prove yourself and start simply being yourself. A strong sense of self is not the end of the journey. It’s the anchor that lets you travel everywhere else without losing your way. — Anushka & Vishnu — This post was previously published on medium.com. Love relationships? We promise to have a good one with your inbox. Subcribe to get 3x weekly dating and relationship advice. Did you know? We have 8 publications on Medium. Join us there! Hello, Love (relationships) Change Becomes You (Advice) A Parent is Born (Parenting) Equality Includes You (Social Justice) Greener Together (Environment) Shelter Me (Wellness) Modern Identities (Gender, etc.) Co-Existence (World) *** – Photo credit: Taya Iv on Unsplash The post The Silent Killer of Confidence No One Talks About appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

A few weeks ago, I asked a couple how they met. They laughed, looked at each other, and said in unison: “Hinge.” Pause. I craved a quirky detail about spilled drinks, an awkward eye contact across a bar or being trapped in the same elevator. No. All I got was: We both swiped right. Once upon a time, couples shared stories that began in bookstores, subways, or with borrowed lighters. The randomness was the point. Now, it’s not who do you happen to bump into? It’s who fits your filters? The apps have won. But something beautiful has been lost. … Serendipity is dead. Long live the algorithm. Dating apps promised efficiency. They were supposed to make finding love easier. And they did. In the same way microwaves made cooking easier: quick, efficient, and utterly devoid of romance. But in solving the problem of access, apps erased the thrill of accident. I am talking about: The thrill of bumping into someone at a house party who happens to know your best friend’s cousin. The thrill of sitting next to a stranger on a plane and talking for six hours. The thrill of spilling coffee on someone and discovering you actually like each other. We traded “our eyes met across the room” for “we matched at 2am while both pretending not to be lonely.” Efficiency killed the accident. And with it, the thrill. … My almost love story. I once had what could’ve been a proper meet-cute. I was in a crowded café, hunting for a seat. The only open spot was at a table where a cute guy was working. That stranger with a smile made me risk asking if I could share his table. He moved his laptop, and we ended up talking for two hours swapping stories and sipping coffee that went cold while the conversation didn’t. We left with each other’s numbers. I walked home buzzing, convinced the Universe had just handed me a story. But a week later, we matched on Bumble. The app reframed it. It took a serendipitous moment and folded it into its grid, as if to say: this wasn’t fate, this was us. We never went anywhere. But I remember that café moment vividly. I don’t remember the chat on Bumble though. … Romance should be risky. Dating apps have given us abundance, but at the cost of storytelling. Why chase the spark from a random encounter when a thousand curated options are waiting in your pocket? Romance is no longer something you stumble into. You scroll through it. Meet-cutes require risk: you have to read the moment, lean into the awkwardness, maybe even face rejection in real time. Apps eliminate that. You don’t risk embarrassment when you swipe left. You don’t risk anything at all. And here is the paradox. The safety of abundance leaves us restless. We avoid the wild because it feels risky, but it’s exactly the risk that makes it thrilling. I miss that awkwardness. Instead, all we’ve got is the marketing strategy. … The meet-cute vacuum. When was the last time you heard someone tell a story that started with chance? “We were both at the wrong gate at Heathrow.” “She spilled wine on me at a friend’s birthday.” “We argued over who saw the cab first.” These stories have become endangered. Now? The most common “how we met” story is: “We matched on Hinge.” Efficient, yes. But it doesn’t exactly light up the table. And yet… I can’t shake the feeling that meet-cutes matter. That they’re not just relics of a pre-app world, but proof that life can still surprise us. I’ve had enough algorithmic “matches” to know they blur together. But the few serendipitous encounters I’ve had, bumping into someone at a bookstore, sitting next to someone at a wedding table, that café conversation, those stick. Because a meet-cute is more than romance. It’s about timing. And I adore the sense that the Universe is mischievous and maybe even rooting for you. Apps can deliver compatibility. But they can’t deliver magic. … Long live the accident. Yes, maybe the meet-cute is dying. We’ve probably sold romance to recommendation engines. Call me old-fashioned, but I still crane my neck on trains. I still strike up conversations in queues. I still secretly hope that dropping my books could spark a romance worthy of a Nora Ephron script. Because the great thing about algorithms is they optimize for probability. But the great thing about meet-cutes is they make no sense at all. Meet-cutes remind us that love is two lives colliding in exactly the wrong place at exactly the right time. And honestly? I’d rather trip into love than swipe into it. The end of the meet-cute might be here. But I don’t want to live in a world without it. Because love should feel like a story worth telling. … Let’s keep in touch! Join my Substack: MindsetMatters Your support means a great deal to me. If you would like to fuel my creativity with coffee, buy me a coffee and share your thoughts. — This post was previously published on medium.com. Love relationships? We promise to have a good one with your inbox. Subcribe to get 3x weekly dating and relationship advice. Did you know? We have 8 publications on Medium. Join us there! Hello, Love (relationships) Change Becomes You (Advice) A Parent is Born (Parenting) Equality Includes You (Social Justice) Greener Together (Environment) Shelter Me (Wellness) Modern Identities (Gender, etc.) Co-Existence (World) *** – Photo credit: Hoi An Photographer On Unsplash The post The Death of the Meet-Cute appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Most people begin their mornings in quiet defeat before they even leave their bed. The alarm goes off, and instead of rising, the battle begins. Not against the world outside but against the thoughts inside. The ones that whisper “you’re already behind,” or “you’ll never get it all done,” or worse, “why bother?” I know this battle. I lived it for years. Some mornings I still feel its pull. The heaviness, the race, the instant pressure. The mind that wants to spiral before the day has even started. And here’s the truth no one wants to admit, those first thoughts are not harmless. They set the tone. They’re seeds. They decide how the hours ahead unfold. Most people plant weeds before they even drink their first cup of coffee. That realization changed everything for me. I didn’t stumble into Meta Prayers as some lofty spiritual practice. I found them because I was tired of losing my mornings, tired of losing whole days to dread and pressure and fear. I was tired of walking around already defeated, already behind, already at war with myself. One morning, I sat at the kitchen table, coffee in hand, and instead of listing everything I had to do, I whispered: “Peace fills my mind, body, and spirit now.” It was awkward at first, like speaking into an empty room. My rational mind told me I was being ridiculous. But the words landed differently than the usual spiral. They felt steady. They felt true, even if just for a breath. And so, I whispered again the next day, and the day after that. Soon it became a habit. A rhythm. A way of re-training the first minutes of my day. Most of us are already praying. We just don’t call it prayer. When you wake up and say, “I’m so tired. Life is so hard. I’ll never catch up,” those are prayers too. They’re requests, sent out into the universe, repeated with conviction. Meta Prayers are the reverse of that. They are conscious, intentional whispers. Prayers that shape reality instead of reinforce defeat. They are short, simple, raw. Not lofty religious formulas. Not syrupy affirmations. Words you can actually believe when you’re standing there in your kitchen with messy hair, coffee cup in hand, staring down another long day. That’s what makes them powerful. I began weaving them into my coaching practice. Clients would show up overwhelmed, lost in fear, in grief, in uncertainty. They wanted big strategies, sweeping answers. But often what shifted them most was a single line they could cling to. A sentence whispered in the morning. A steadying breath at night. Like the man who was drowning in fear of failure until I handed him these words: “Every fear I face dissolves into strength.” Or the woman who carried years of shame in her body and finally began to feel free when she spoke: “I reclaim every part of myself that was lost or silenced.” I’ve watched people cry when they hear their own mouths repeat something they never thought they could believe. It isn’t magic, but it feels like it. The kind of magic that rewrites your nervous system, your energy, your direction. Because here’s the secret: words are not just words. They’re instructions to the body. They’re blueprints for the day ahead. They’re signals to the spirit. Say defeat, you live defeat. Say strength, you build strength. Say peace, you begin to feel peace. Even if only in slivers. And those slivers expand. I don’t care how strong you are, how disciplined, how spiritual. Every one of us faces the morning battle. And every one of us has the choice: to fall back into the weeds of unconscious words, or to plant something new. That choice is where the day begins. These whispers, these Meta Prayers, are what pulled me back when life should have broken me. When my son lay in a hospital bed after his accident, unconscious, machines keeping him alive, I whispered prayers not just for his healing, but for my own strength. For clarity when my fear wanted to crush me. For faith when my mind screamed despair. When I crawled out of a relationship that should have destroyed me, I whispered words that reminded me of my worth, of my power, of my freedom. And in the quiet, ordinary mornings too, when nothing dramatic is happening, they still hold me. They steady me so the weight of the world doesn’t decide my day before I even begin it. That’s why I wrote this book. Meta Prayers for Today’s Challenging Times is not a collection of pretty words. It’s a lifeline. It’s the sentences that pulled me through grief, trauma, fear, and rebuilding faith. It’s the same words I’ve handed to clients who swore nothing could change. It’s a companion for mornings when you’d rather not rise, nights when the silence feels too heavy, and all the moments in between. You don’t need long rituals. You don’t need to escape to a monastery. You just need words that work. Words that meet you in your humanity and remind you of your divinity. That’s what Meta Prayers are. They’re what I whisper to the universe each morning. And what whispers back is peace, strength, and a sense of being held, no matter what the day holds. The morning battle doesn’t stop. But now, I win it more often than I lose it. And that’s the difference between a life that crushes you and a life you rise to meet. This September (fingers crossed), this book will be in your hands. Until then, I’ll keep whispering. I hope you will too. Because every word is a seed. And what you plant each morning is what grows into your life. Ready to stop losing the morning battle? Join the waitlist now for my upcoming book, Meta Prayers for Today’s Challenging Times. These aren’t just words — they’re lifelines for the days when you need them most. DM me “Morning Battle” for the direct link or to be added. As always loving you from here, Rene Schooler — This post was previously published on medium.com. Love relationships? We promise to have a good one with your inbox. Subcribe to get 3x weekly dating and relationship advice. Did you know? We have 8 publications on Medium. Join us there! Hello, Love (relationships) Change Becomes You (Advice) A Parent is Born (Parenting) Equality Includes You (Social Justice) Greener Together (Environment) Shelter Me (Wellness) Modern Identities (Gender, etc.) Co-Existence (World) *** – Photo credit: CRYSTALWEED cannabis On Unsplash The post The Lies You Hear Before Sunrise appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

By Emily Senkosky, Grist “This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.” Earlier this summer, the Banana Lake Fire erupted near Plains, Montana, engulfing over 850 acres in flames within a day. The “total suppression” response from firefighting officials included deploying at least 17 engines, two helicopters, and three bulldozers, as well as highly trained fire crews. But another newer piece of technology was also at play as firefighters worked to contain the blaze: drones. Banana Lake was one of several early-season fires in the state this year. As of this writing, there are over 20,000 acres burning across seven key wildfires in Montana, at varying levels of containment. And increasingly hot and dry conditions throughout the American West are making fire an ever more fickle foe. As a new era with the natural disaster commences, both fire practitioners and researchers across the West are bolstering their arsenal with cutting-edge tools. Drones now fly above firefighters, private satellite companies monitor fire and smoke from above, and AI machine-learning models are helping to advance fire research. While these new innovations are not panaceas, ground operations crews and scientists are optimistic about the ways modern technology can help fight fire smarter, not harder. Since 2018, drones — sometimes referred to as unmanned aerial systems, or UAS — have been flying under the radar as a new instrument for the United States Forest Service in the fight against wildfire. Thanks in large part to Dirk Giles, who launched and leads the agency’s UAS program, the number of drones deployed each year by the Forest Service has jumped from 734 flights in 2019 to over 17,000 in 2024. “The program has really hit a new stride in the past three years,” said Giles. “We are seeing UAS supplementing fire crews across all phases of response.” “This UAS program is now being recognized as prolific,” said Ry Phipps, a division supervisor in Region 1 of the Forest Service, which includes Montana. “There was a time we wouldn’t have even thought to try and order a drone for operations. They have become a fantastic tool that is changing the game.” According to Phipps, drones are increasingly seen as a force multiplier by Forest Service employees. Drones equipped with infrared sensors can help detect lingering hot spots, pinpointing areas at risk for reigniting. Previously, firefighters had to meticulously hand-check burn scars, which could take days at a time and a ton of manpower depending on the size of the area. With supervisors like Phipps reading a thermal map on a screen fed by drone data, firefighters with boots on the ground can be dispatched more safely and efficiently, only going to spots that have high heat signatures. “It saves a lot of time and risk for crews,” said Phipps. For helicopter pilots, who help control wildfires by dropping water or fire retardant to suppress flames and creating fire lines for ground crews to control blazes, drones can also assist. Preprogrammed flight trajectories in combination with infrared sensors allow UAS to fly through heavy smoke or at night. This mitigates the need for “low and slow” reconnaissance missions, which require pilots to fly close to the ground in tricky terrain and low visibility. According to Giles, these missions are some of the most dangerous for wildland fire pilots. As their name would suggest, unmanned aerial systems offer a way to do surveillance without putting pilots in danger — which means that UAS can unlock new abilities for fire crews in extreme conditions. “Basically, you can fly drones so that nobody gets hurt,” said Phipps. “You can replace a drone. You can’t replace a person.” Although Giles, Phipps, and others believe that drones show great promise — especially in shifting risk from firefighters to a machine the size of a small cooler — they’re far from being a silver bullet. The machines have limited battery life and can only complete flights of about 15 minutes on average, meaning that deployments must be carefully planned. And since drones are still being studied in various fire management applications, manpower is still needed to check the “ground truth” of information that UAS provide. Another limitation is simply availability. According to Phipps, there aren’t as many drones as there is demand for them. Ironically, there’s also an emerging risk from privately owned drones getting in the way of official operations. If hobby drones are in the airspace near a wildfire, it’s also a no-go for land management agencies to fly. During a wildfire in Montana in 2022, aerial crew operations came to a standstill as an unapproved drone buzzed right into an area with a temporary flight restriction. Officials were able to locate the drone’s owner in just about 15 minutes — but that’s precious time when a fire is raging. And just two weeks ago during a wildfire near Provo, Utah, fire operations were shut down by multiple drone incursions, impeding fire management on a high-profile fire near a densely populated community. While UAS are becoming more critical in fire operations, officials must also work on educating civilians to ensure unauthorized drones don’t prevent them from flying their own. Another area of fire management that drones have shown shown some promise in is lighting and managing controlled burns — intentional blazes set to clear dry brush and other fuels. Fire management’s history of suppression disrupted the natural fire cycles that Indigenous communities once stewarded — cycles that many ecologists now champion. As colonization spread across the West and settlers sought to control land and resources, racist assimilation programs criminalized all manner of Indigenous customs. Prescribed burning was one of them. But as the consequences of this more aggressive, reactive approach to fire management have become apparent, Western science has increasingly caught on to the effectiveness of routine controlled burning. One recent Stanford-led study revealed that prescribed burns can reduce the severity of subsequent wildfires by an average of 16 percent and net smoke pollution by 14 percent. Fire professionals have also recognized their potential, with applications growing year over year. Enter another new breed of drones: UAS that can be equipped to carry “dragon eggs,” pingpong ball-sized clusters of a flammable potassium concoction that ignite on impact. This innovation helped the Forest Service burn around 189,000 acres in 2024 to reduce built-up fuels. While the use of prescribed burns is on the rise, in Montana and elsewhere, concerns remain about public safety risks, both from air pollution and the possibility of blazes getting out of control. Technology is helping to address those kinds of questions, too. Researchers in Montana are looking to clear some of the lingering haze of safety concerns around prescribed burns through a National Science Foundation-funded project titled SMART FIRES. (The project’s title is an acronym for Sensors, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence in Real Time Fire Science.) The group, specializing in fields from atmospheric chemistry to public health, will use the grant to conduct five years of study and fieldwork aimed at unpacking the environmental and social dynamics needed to scale prescribed burns as a preventative measure for wildfire. The suite of custom gadgets that the project is utilizing includes some proprietary UAS. “Drones are just a tool,” said John Sheppard, who leads SMART FIRES’ AI computer science team. He added that his role in the project is a supportive one — to see how these technological tools can further the various research aims. Using smart sensors and high-resolution cameras fastened on drones and ground sites, the researchers are training AI models to analyze prescribed burns on the fly. The different smart sensors will efficiently process real-time data, and in combination with weather and historical fire information, they will look to model a burn’s movement on the landscape. Before conducting a prescribed burn, practitioners usually carefully examine environmental factors like wind, humidity, and temperature. These AI models will theoretically offer an enhanced version of that, also incorporating factors like ground fuels and topography to provide supervisors with the best possible data to burn accurately and safely. SMART FIRES also touts a “science lab on wheels” — a tricked-out Ford Transit van that looks right off a Ghostbusters movie set. The van collects smoke directly from active fires, which environmental chemists then analyze to determine things like the level of PM2.5 — particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns, a concern for public health — and other pollutants present in the smoke. The social science arm of the project will also engage community members, surveying rural and Indigenous communities in particular about their concerns and priorities related to prescribed burns and ensuring these considerations are put into risk assessments. The consortium ultimately hopes to provide interpretable, map-based forecasts to land managers to help them decide when, where, and how prescribed burns can be used for wildfire prevention. “The goal of the project is to refine the AI models so that they can give better recommendations to experts on the ground who know best,” said Sheppard. While drones and AI are opening up a new era for fire science and management, some of the most tenured experts on the ground have yet to gain access to these types of cutting-edge tools. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Montana, sometimes known by the acronym CSKT, have practiced prescribed burns as a tool for land stewardship since time immemorial. According to Ron Swaney, the fire management officer of the CSKT Division of Fire, the role of fire has long been guided by a deep cultural responsibility. “I think a lot of people underestimate the role of Indigenous burning on the landscape,” he said. “There was purpose and intent for that use of fire.” Justin Underwood, the CSKT prescribed fire and fuel specialist, has been in fire management for 19 years and was the first UAS pilot to be certified under the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Pacific Northwest region. For three years, he has been trying to get a drone for the tribes’ prescribed burn operations. But because he isn’t employed by the Department of the Interior, he has yet to cut through the red tape. The Office of Aviation Services, which lives within the U.S. Department of the Interior, is responsible for all aircraft services and facilities — including the certification card needed for flying a UAS. According to Swaney, the tribe has a helicopter, two single-engine air tankers, and an air attack platform for firefighting. But because drones are a newer implementation in fire management, nonfederal fire divisions may run up against a convoluted process to get clearance to use a UAS. “I wouldn’t be so frustrated if my qualifications didn’t mirror other pilots,” said Underwood. “I’ve done every training offered by the Department of the Interior, but I am still unsure what it will take to get officially carded for a UAS.” While the CSKT coordinates with public land agencies on prescribed burns, the tribal nation sets its own fire management plan — one part of a larger plan focused on climate change adaptation. The tribe’s approach to fire weaves together ancestral knowledge and contemporary science. But being unable to utilize the latest technological tools has hampered these efforts, Swaney said, underscoring just how important the role of technology is in present and future fire management. “It’s like living in the dark ages,” said Swaney. This article originally appeared in Grist at https://grist.org/wildfires/how-drones-and-ai-are-changing-the-way-we-fight-wildfires/. Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at Grist.org — This Story Was Originally Published by Grist. *** – The world is changing fast. We help you keep up. We’ll send you 1 post, 3x per week. – Photo Credit: unsplash The post How Drones and AI Are Changing the Way We Fight Wildfires appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Kathmandu has been forced to reverse a restriction it had imposed on websites such as X, YouTube, and Facebook The Nepalese government has reversed its decision to ban social media sites, following violent protests that resulted in 19 deaths and over 400 injuries. The protests, led by people mostly in their late teens and early 20s, broke out on Monday after several major social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and X, were banned. These sites were among 26 that were blocked for failing to register under new regulations, which local media reports said censored free speech. Clashes intensified when demonstrators broke through barbed wire barriers and attempted to enter a restricted zone near parliament, prompting police to fire live rounds and tear gas, and deploy water cannons and batons, according to a Hindustan Times report. The authorities confirmed 17 deaths in Kathmandu alone, with around 400 people injured, including over 100 police officers. “I joined for a peaceful protest, but the government responded with violence,” AFP news agency quoted a 20-year-old as saying. ❗️Nepal Home Minister QUITS As Death Toll From Gen Z Social Media Ban Protest Rises To 19; 347 Injured https://t.co/HMgV8g440V pic.twitter.com/D2NdnJei5I — RT_India (@RT_India_news) September 8, 2025 “As a close friend and neighbor, we hope that all concerned will exercise restraint and address any issues through peaceful means and dialogue.” India’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The ministry added that it is closely monitoring the developments in Nepal and is “deeply saddened” by the “loss of many young lives.” After the protests, Nepal’s home minister resigned at a cabinet meeting on Monday evening. Protesters set fire to the private residence of the information and communication minister, according to local reports. Although the government has lifted the social media ban, demonstrations persisted on Tuesday in Kathmandu, where people rallied outside parliament calling for the government’s removal or dissolution. Some protesters told reporters that their primary concerns are unemployment and corruption. View the full article

By Lorenzo Santini, The Loop For over 50 years, the European Parliament and the US Congress have steadily practiced transatlantic parliamentary diplomacy. In a second Trump era, what space remains for gender equality? Lorenzo Santini argues that informal and symbolic diplomacy helps keep women’s rights visible on the agenda A shaky bedrock for gender equality Under Donald Trump’s second administration, the EU-US alliance faces an existential stress test amid trade disputes, weakened security guarantees and cultural antagonisms. In June 2025, lawmakers from the European Parliament (EP) and US Congress discussed these issues in Warsaw at the 90th Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue (TLD). Their joint statement reaffirmed the transatlantic relationship as a ‘bedrock of global peace, prosperity and democratic resilience’. Since 1999, the TLD has reunited EP Members (MEPs) and US lawmakers biannually to address shared policy interests. This embodies parliamentary diplomacy, reflecting parliaments’ growing role as international actors. Parliamentary diplomacy may offer regular dialogical platforms when executive relations are strained or in conflict situations. Indeed, the EP is an interparliamentary powerhouse: 48 Delegations cover nearly all countries, regions, and international organisations. While some MEPs champion gender mainstreaming as a pinnacle of European and transatlantic values, gender is increasingly contested within the European Parliament What role does the EP play in EU-US relations, and how does gender factor in? Beneath formal frameworks, informal, everyday practices determine how these structures work concretely: who gets to speak, who is excluded, and which issues reach the agenda. Masculinised norms endure in diplomacy, with gender equality eclipsed by ‘high politics’. Trump decisively backtracked on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programmes, recognising only ‘man’ and ‘woman’ as ‘biological truths‘. US diplomats refused to sign the 2025 UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) political declaration. While some MEPs champion gender mainstreaming as a pinnacle of European and transatlantic values, gender is increasingly contested within the EP. Rules without balance TLD meetings lack a formal codebook, instead relying on a patchwork of institutional rules. The EP appears more invested than Congress. In 2010, it inaugurated a Liaison Office in Washington DC to manage day-to-day relations with US lawmakers. Back in Brussels, MEPs convene monthly within the Delegation to the US (D-US), a structure the Congress lacks. With 64 members across political groups, its prominence makes it the most coveted ‘diplomatic’ assignment. Recently, the EP introduced a contested rule mandating gender balance in Delegation Bureaux and Committees. Brando Benifei (Italy), from the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), currently chairs the D-US. EP Vice-President Sophie Wilmès (Belgium, Renew) was appointed as first vice-chair, while Eva Maydell (Bulgaria) from the European People’s Party (EPP) serves as second vice-chair. Wilmès’ role in the High-Level Group on Gender Equality and Diversity could further support gender mainstreaming efforts. Since 2004, the Delegation’s leadership has been almost exclusively male. The only exception was Danuta Hübner (Poland, EPP), who briefly inherited the position late in the ninth term. Women’s presence in the EP rose from 31% in 2004 to 39% in 2024; however, the Delegation to the US remains consistently male-dominated Formal rules do not mandate gender balance in the broader composition of institutional bodies. While women’s presence in the EP rose from 31% in 2004 to 39% in 2024, D-US remains consistently male-dominated. However, balance was briefly achieved in the seventh term (2009–2014). The current legislature (2024–2029) registers the lowest female participation, with women making up just 32.8% of the Delegation. While the Parliament has adopted strong gender equality resolutions, these rarely translate into diplomatic practice. Share of MEPs in D-US, according to gender, 2004–2029 Who travels to the US? Beyond formal frameworks, Committees, political groups, and individual MEPs conduct outreach missions to the US. An internal 14-member Steering Committee coordinates the TLD. It reunites the Bureau of D-US and the Chairs of 11 Committees, including for Foreign Affairs (AFET) and International Trade (INTA). Though gender balanced, with seven women out of 14 members, its latest mission in April 2025 consisted almost exclusively of male MEPs. Similarly, in July 2025 AFET visited Washington featuring an all-male eight-member delegation, reflecting the gendered outlook of foreign affairs bodies. Political groups time their transnational missions strategically. The Patriots for Europe Group visited Washington to signal alignment with Trump’s ‘necessary fight against wokism‘. Conversely, the S&D organised a high-level delegation in June 2025. The programme included talks on equalities and LGBTQI+ rights, personally requested by S&D President Iratxe García Pérez, who previously chaired the EP Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM). Symbolic tools of resistance Symbolism is intrinsic to diplomacy, and parliaments often resemble international moral tribunes. Recent TLD statements neglect gender issues, mostly focusing on trade and security. The EP can, however, employ other tools to exert normative pressure, such as resolutions and debates. In October 2021, the EP condemned restrictions on abortion rights in Texas. The resolution was accompanied by an urgency debate on breaches of human rights, democracy, and rule of law. The EPP refused to participate: Michael Gahler (Germany) claimed that equating the US to ‘China, Russia, or Belarus’ as human rights abusers fuels ‘anti-Americanism’. Two more resolutions highlighted the global backlash against abortion following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overruling Roe v. Wade. The Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue has recently neglected gender issues; however, the EP can still exert normative pressure, such as its condemnation of restrictions on abortion rights in Texas The EP established gender focal points, MEPs who voluntarily mainstream gender in institutional bodies. Assita Kanko (Belgium) from the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) holds this role in D-US. Kanko vocally criticised the ruling in a July 2022 plenary, comparing it to The Handmaid’s Tale, but avoided direct condemnation, instead instrumentalising Muslim women’s oppression. ECR tabled a countermotion challenging EU institutions for overstepping US sovereignty. In 2023, the FEMM Committee combined its annual UN CSW visit with a trip to Washington, the first to address abortion rights after Dobbs. Led by former FEMM Chair Robert Biedroń (Poland, S&D), MEPs met Nancy Pelosi, former House Speaker, and discussed the risks of backlash on women’s rights, citing parallels in Europe. Quiet, vital spaces Parliamentarians can act swiftly and flexibly, leveraging their electoral mandates to pursue normative agendas beyond formal diplomacy. But while the TLD offers a stable interparliamentary framework, gender equality remains underdeveloped. As formal rules prove insufficient, feminist actors are engaging in debates, missions, and symbolic acts to keep gender on the EU-US agenda. These are turbulent times: parliamentary diplomacy remains a quiet, vital space to defend, articulate and signal gender equality. — This article was originally published at The Loop and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. Subscribe to The Good Men Project Newsletter Email Address * Subscribe If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join us as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo credit: iStock.com The post How Gender Shapes EU-US Parliamentary Diplomacy appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Using a VPN? Better make sure it’s not on this list. VPNs are supposed to keep you safe. They encrypt your internet traffic and hide your location from hackers, ISPs and creepy ad trackers. But what if the app was secretly collecting browsing data, location, everything you type, anything you do, then selling it all to who knows who? You guessed it. Researchers just flagged at least 21 free VPN apps for being dangerously insecure and misleading. They look totally different on the surface, i.e., security-centric names, flashy logos and even glowing customer reviews. Spoiler: Some are linked to communist China. ⚠️ These aren’t obscure apps These VPNs racked up almost a billion downloads on the Apple App Store and Google Play. That’s huge. Here are the VPNs to delete right now: Turbo VPN, Turbo VPN Lite, VPN Monster, VPN Proxy Master, VPN Proxy Master – Lite, Snap VPN, Robot VPN, SuperNet VPN, VPNIFY, VPN Proxy OvpnSpider, WireVPN – Fast VPN & Proxy, Now VPN, Speedy Quark VPN, Best VPN Proxy AppVPN, HulaVPN, PearlVPN, Signal Secure VPN, VPN Guru, SmartVPN, iRocketVPN, and LinkVPN. 🚫 How to remove a shady VPN Simply deleting these apps isn’t enough. You need to do more. Note: I’ve checked the steps, but these may vary depending on your device’s make, model and operating system version. 📱 On iPhone and iPad: Tap and hold the app icon, then select Remove App > Delete App. Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. If you see a VPN configuration tied to the app, tap it and hit Delete VPN. Restart your phone to clear any cached data. 📱 On Android: Before uninstalling, go to Settings > Apps > [VPN Name] > Storage > Clear cache and Clear data. Long-press the app icon, select Uninstall, or go to Settings > Apps > [VPN Name] > Uninstall. Go to Settings > Network & internet or Connections > [VPN Name], tap the gear next to the VPN, then select Forget VPN or Delete. Restart your phone for good measure. To be extra safe, check your phone’s Location or Background Activity permissions and remove anything the VPN had access to. 🔐 When it’s free, you’re the product If you want a VPN that protects you, I personally use ExpressVPN, a longtime sponsor of my national radio show. It’s fast, easy to use and has a strict no-logs policy. ExpressVPN doesn’t track what you do online. Period. It’s been independently audited (multiple times), runs its own secure servers and doesn’t cut corners or steal your data like those free, shady apps. If you travel, work remotely, shop online or just don’t want your internet provider watching everything you do, click or tap here to get 4 extra months free when you sign up. The post VPNs that spy on you appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

— Experience and personality count, but you want to know who you’re inviting into the workplace. Whether it’s a small team or a larger company, introducing background checks will make a meaningful difference in terms of helping keep everyone feel safe and confident in your hiring decisions. This article will let you know why criminal history checks make the hiring process efficient. 1. Builds Trust Within the Whole Team When you check every candidate’s background, it shows that your business follows a fair process. Your staff can feel confident that the people they work with have been properly checked, not just based on how well they present during interviews. This becomes even more important when someone’s role involves handling sensitive tasks, like dealing with money, client information, or personal data. 2. Helps You Follow the Rules in Specific Industries There are some industries where you don’t have a choice; criminal background checks are required by law. Healthcare, finance, and schooling all have strict compliance standards in place. If your business operates in one of these spaces, doing criminal history checks is part of your legal responsibility. If you skip this step or don’t take it seriously, you could end up facing fines or legal issues. Clients, employees, and regulators all want to see that you’re doing the right thing. Keeping up with these requirements protects your business and shows that you take your responsibilities seriously. 3. Keeps Your People, Property, and Reputation Safe Doing a background check might seem like a small step, but it helps protect your company from risks. You’re not just guarding your equipment; you’re looking after the safety of your staff and reputation. If a new hire ends up being a risk to others, it can take a lot of time and effort to undo the damage. But by screening before someone joins the team, you show your clients that you take safety seriously. 4. Prevents Bigger Problems Later On Keep in mind that hiring the wrong person can cause a lot of problems later down the line. One bad hire can lead to wasted time, extra costs, internal conflict, or even legal issues. Conducting a national criminal history check takes a little time up front, but it can stop bigger problems before they start. When you have all the facts, you can make better decisions that save your team time and avoid unnecessary stress. 5. Supports Fair and Informed Hiring Some people worry that criminal checks are unfair, but when they’re done the right way, they help you stay fair. You’re not using someone’s past against them; you’re making sure they’re the right fit for your team, especially if the job involves trust or responsibility. With that information in hand, you can still focus on skills, personality, and potential while also making sure your team stays safe and supported. 6. Strengthens Your Hiring Process Overall Adding criminal history checks to your hiring system doesn’t slow you down; it helps you move forward with more confidence. You don’t have to second-guess your decisions or wonder if you’ve missed something important. You’ll know that your team-building process is solid and aligned with your values. Screening also shows others, whether that’s clients or partners, that your business takes hiring seriously. Safety Starts With Smarter Criminal History Checks A criminal history check feels like a simple step, but it gives you peace of mind, helps you follow the rules, and builds trust inside and outside your business. When you’re hiring, it’s not just about filling a role; it’s about creating a safe workplace. If you want to build a team that people can count on, screening is the best way to protect what you’ve built and make your workplace better for everyone involved. — This content is brought to you by Rana Adnan iStockPhoto The post Why Criminal History Checks Are Essential for Safer Hiring appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

If women loved their men the way they love their children, half the homes breaking apart today might still be standing. Let that settle for a second. Because a mother’s love? It’s a force. It forgives. It tries again. It waits. It understands silence. It knows tantrums don’t always mean hate, and withdrawal doesn’t always mean the absence of love. A mother doesn’t give up. She doesn’t pack her bags after a few tough nights. She doesn’t label her child “emotionally unavailable” and walk away. She stays. She figures it out. She keeps choosing love — even on the days it hurts. Now imagine if that kind of love showed up in our relationships. I’ve seen women carry the emotional weight of their entire families. I’ve seen them sacrifice, bend, stretch themselves thin, and still find a way to tuck their child into bed with a kiss. But I’ve also seen the way some of those same women treat their partners: with less patience, less grace, and far less effort. And I’m not saying this to blame. This isn’t some anti-woman rant. I love women — real love. Respectful love. I see their struggle, their strength, their pain. But this one truth keeps following me around: We ration love. And we ration it most with the people we once said we couldn’t live without. A child can fail and still be loved. A man fails once, and he’s “not good enough.” A child can scream, cry, or fall apart. A man does the same, and he’s “too much,” “too broken,” “too soft.” We’ve made motherhood a space for unconditional love and made relationships a place for constant evaluation. You can’t build forever when love has to pass a test every week. And yes, men do it too. Some men don’t love their wives the way they love their daughters. They speak gently to the little girl who holds their hand, but harshly to the woman who held them down through all their storms. That’s a wound too. So maybe we both have work to do. But today, I’m talking to the women. To the givers. To the ones who’ve been taught to nurture endlessly — but only in certain places. What if you gave your man the same kind of grace you give your child? What if you saw his silence as confusion, not rejection? What if you held space for his healing the same way you do for your child’s growth? I’m not saying stay in something that’s tearing you down. I’m saying stop confusing discomfort with destruction. Stop leaving when things aren’t instant. Stop forgetting that love takes learning — and unlearning. Love can’t survive when it’s being rationed. It needs to feel like home, not like a courtroom where every mistake is a new trial. The truth is: relationships don’t always die because love disappears. Sometimes, they die because we stopped choosing to love the way we once promised we would. Give him the love you want from him. Not a smaller version. Not a performance. Not a test. And if he’s not the one, that’s okay. But don’t let the next man meet a woman who forgot how to love deeply, just because the last one couldn’t hold it. We say love is unconditional. Let’s start proving it. Not just with your kids. But with the man you once swore you’d never stop choosing. “This isn’t about blaming women. It’s about unlearning the patterns that make love feel more like survival than sanctuary. It’s about giving your partner the same grace you give your child — the patience, the softness, the belief that broken doesn’t mean beyond repair. Because real love — the kind that lasts — doesn’t ration itself”. Life taught me to speak truth through words. Motivation | Mindset | Real-life new posts weekly, let’s grow together. — This post was previously published on medium.com. Love relationships? We promise to have a good one with your inbox. Subcribe to get 3x weekly dating and relationship advice. Did you know? We have 8 publications on Medium. Join us there! Hello, Love (relationships) Change Becomes You (Advice) A Parent is Born (Parenting) Equality Includes You (Social Justice) Greener Together (Environment) Shelter Me (Wellness) Modern Identities (Gender, etc.) Co-Existence (World) *** – Photo credit: Jonathan Borba on Unsplash The post If Women Loved Their Men Like They Loved Their Kids, Forever Would Still Exist appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article